


Love's a Loaded Gun

by mestizaa



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 17:56:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15054647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mestizaa/pseuds/mestizaa
Summary: Yet another Alice in high school fic. This time, she's dating Hal and hooks up with FP.





	Love's a Loaded Gun

**Author's Note:**

> Song title borrowed from an Alice Cooper song. 
> 
> Notes: fade to black underage sex. Underage drinking.
> 
> I can't believe I wrote a Riverdale fic. FYI, I can't keep track of the RiverParents timeline, so bear with me. Let me know what you think!

For the first 16 years of her life Alice's world ended at the tracks that divided the city. She bounced around trailers and moldy 2-bedroom houses, never meaning more to her hosts than a source of government funding.

 

Everything changed with new foster parents who lived just inside Riverdale High's district.

 

Up until that point, Alice had never dreamed of Ivy League. The moment she stepped foot in the halls of the Northside high school in her junior year, she allowed herself to consider Community College.

 

Possibly more, if she managed to get the fuck out of the armpit that is Riverdale.

 

(Acquiring a generous donation from a long lost relative would be nice too.)

 

Alice sure didn't miss Southside High, what with it being both overcrowded and underfunded. She didn't miss the sounds of testosterone-filled boys slamming each other against lockers, or the defeated looks in her teachers' eyes when they stopped trying to get the students to _care_.

 

They knew there wasn't anywhere else for these kids to go.

 

At Riverdale High, she could be anything.

* * *

 

She was annoyed with Hal the first moment she heard him speak. They were in English class and he monologued nonsense for an eternity. He didn't even answer Mr Weatherbee's question.

 

“It didn't make any sense! Nothing he says makes any sense!” Alice would later tell her friend FP. They were parked next to the river, milkshakes in hand, their legs hanging off the back of his dad's pickup truck.

 

He laughed and took a slurp from his milkshake. “Sounds like he just likes the sound of his own voice.”

 

Alice sighed and rolled her eyes. “That's the understatement of the century.”

 

“You could always transfer back,” FP pointed out teasingly. Alice glared at him in reply.

 

“Only when pigs are flying over the frozen hellscape that is Riverdale,” the venom in her voice was palpable with each word. “If the worst thing about my new school is _Hal Cooper,_ I think I can manage.”

 

FP stared at the rushing river silently for moment. “You're going to do amazing things, Alice.”

 

She smiled at the sentiment. He was the only one who ever thought she could be more. “You will too, FP,” she said as she took his hand.

 

The leather jacket around his shoulders made her want to cry.

  

* * *

 

 

After one forced project, a verbal showdown and accompanying apology flowers, Hal Cooper started to grow on Alice. Soon, he was inviting her to join him on the debate team and the _Blue and Gold_ school paper. Which she did, but only because it would help her chances when she applied to college.)

 

Hal peered over her shoulder and grabbed the sheet of paper dangling out of her typewriter. She huffed at first because there is nothing more irritating than somebody watching over her shoulder. He didn't seem to notice, captivated by the words, her words on the page.

“Alice, this is amazing,” he said and the anger dissipated to something warm and fluttery. “You're good, you're really good”

 

She fought back a smile and thanked him because she didn't know how to react. Alice knew she was a good writer, but she never shared it with anybody. This was the first time somebody else knew it too.

 

* * *

 

Hal didn't question her when she refused to let him pick her up at her house. She would always meet him instead. He always insisted in paying for dinner, which was fine because sometimes that was the most Alice would have to eat all day.

 

He gave her flowers and chocolate, and he would leave cutesy notes in her locker. It was overwhelming and cheesy but she didn't know that these things happened outside of the movies. The only things her father ever gave her mother were black eyes.

 

* * *

 

When Alice was with Hal, she liked to pretend that she had never danced with the devil and promised herself to the Serpents. That she didn't spend her nights wiping tables at the Whyte Wyrm, with her tits hanging out. When she was with Hal, she could be so much _more_.

 

It was 9 o'clock on a Friday night and the bar was dead. It was much too early for anything interesting to be happening. Patrons of the Wyvern were nocturnal by nature. Alice was cleaning off some gum from under the counter – _pigs_ , she thought - when she heard a familiar voice come up behind her.

 

“Miss me?” FP said with a smirk.

 

She definitely did. She hadn't been the greatest at balancing her school and Serpent demands. It had been weeks since she had seen FP. But he didn't need to know how much she missed him. Alice got up from under the counter, throwing her disgusting cloth over her forearm. “FP, I see you're up to no good, as usual.”

 

“You know it,” he winked and Alice tried not to noticed how her heart fluttered.

 

FP climbed onto a barstool and Alice remained standing with her arms crossed, desperately hanging onto any semblance of professionalism.

 

“How's the Northside treating you, Alice?”

 

She groaned. “They're mostly pretentious and stuck up. There's this one girl, Hermione – she's a real piece of work. She always has an underlying motive!”

 

“Is she hot?” FP grinned, only to be slapped across the chest with a dirty rag. “I'm kidding! Alice I'm kidding!” he put his hands up in surrender. “You know I only have eyes for you!”

 

She didn't know how to reply to that, so she smacked him – this time with a smile.

 

 

* * *

 

After three months of dating Hal, Alice knew he was totally falling in love with her. Or, more accurately, he was totally falling in love with the Alice he thought he knew. There were certain things he was bound to discover and she would rather it come from her first.

 

Alice sat him down at Pop's one rainy Wednesday after school, and before she could say anything, he looked up at her with his puppy dog green eyes and asked “Is it someone else?”

 

“What? No!” she exclaimed and he sat back in relief. Alice placed her clasped hands on the edge of the table in front of her. “Hal, I called you here today because there are some things I think you need to know about me. Things that I'm ashamed of, and things that I would really appreciate nobody else knew about.”

 

Hal reached over the table and grabbed her hand. “Whatever it is, Alice, I'm listening.”

 

She liked the bubble they were in, but she knew it was time for it to burst. “I'm from the Southside, Hal.”

 

He frowned, not totally getting it.

 

“I was in a bad place, bouncing around between foster homes, and I made a bad call and I joined the Serpents,” she finished all in one breath. “I'm doing everything to leave that life behind. Hal, say something.”

 

“So... you're a gang member?” he let go of her hand and ran it through his dirty blond locks. “Do you have one of those ridiculous jackets?”

 

She nodded. “And a matching tattoo,” she admitted weakly.

 

His eyes widened and she _really_ regretted telling him that piece of information.

 

“Wait,” something crossed his mind. “Are you using me for my money? For free dinners and movies?”

 

“Of course not!”

 

Her clenched fists rested in her lap. Alice knew telling Hal would be difficult, but she didn't expect it to be so fucking _painful._

 

“Hal, you are the most stable thing in my life right now,” she said sadly. “I don't want to lose that.”

“I'm sorry, Alice,” Hal said and Alice's heart dropped to her stomach. He slipped out of the booth. “This is... a lot.”

 

All she could do was nod. She didn't trust her voice to keep from cracking if she spoke.

 

“I need time. To think. Process. I'll see you at school.”

 

And with that, he left.

 

This wasn't the worst case scenario she had considered when she rehearsed this encounter in her head. But it felt pretty damn close.

 

With a shuddering breath, Alice wipes the tears threatening to fall, careful to keep her makeup intact. Any random passerby wouldn't suspect a thing. She met Pop Tate at the counter, and ignoring his concerned gaze, she ordered two burgers and fries to go.

 

“Can I also borrow your phone, Pop?”

 

“Sure thing, Alice.”

 

It took three different numbers to track down who she was looking for.

 

“Hello?” FP's voice finally came through.

 

“It's raining. Pick me up from Pop's?” the request came out a lot more blunt than Alice had intended.

 

“Depends... what do I get out of it?”

 

“Food and wonderful company.”

 

“I'll be there in 10.”

 

True to his word, FP pulled up outside the Shoppe, headlights reflecting in the pouring rain. Alice darted the short distance and climbed into the passenger seat, takeout bag in hand.

 

“Thanks for coming, FP. I didn't want to risk walking home in this weather,” she said as she put on her seatbelt.

 

Normally, FP would have said something snarky. Made a joking comment about how Alice was losing her edge, that she should have been more careful and checked the weather, or maybe he would have said something about entering a wet t-shirt contest.

 

But one quick glance at her made him think twice. Alice stared out the window, her back straighter than usual and her death grip on the takeout bag tightening with each moment. He reached across and placed a hand over hers.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

Alice stiffened. She hated that FP knew her so well. “You'll laugh.”

“You don't know that!”

 

“FP, you don't have a serious bone in your body.”

 

He let go of her hand. “I'm sorry I use humour to deal with the shitty hand life has dealt me. Sue me.”

 

“FP...”

 

“Save it, Alice.”

 

She swallowed the lump in her throat. That wasn't what Alice meant. FP had to know that was not what she meant. She was hurt and confused and lashing out at the closest thing to her. FP had come all the way to Pop's to pick her up _just because she asked_. And here she was, being a total and complete bitch.

 

“I think Hal is going to dump me,” she said softly. This was her olive branch.

 

“Then dump him first,” FP shrugged. “You barely like the guy.”

 

Alice closed her eyes and sighed. If only it were that simple. “I told him I'm a Serpent.”

 

The gravity of the situation finally dawned on FP. “Shit, Alice. Why didn't you start with that?”

 

She shrugged. “He just sat there judging my jacket, my tattoo, my social status... judging _me_. FP, he made me feel so _shitty_.”

 

“Alice, I know you're trying to get away from this life and Hal is everything the Serpents are not. But....” he hesitated for a moment, as if trying to figure out the best way of phrasing the rest of his thought. Her shoulders tensed; she did not like where this was going. “Like it or not, the Serpents are a part of your life. It won't necessarily be a part of your life forever, but it is a huge factor in who you are today. You have to own it, and if Hal doesn't get that, he can suck an egg.”

 

There may have been some wisdom there, but it was hard to take FP seriously when he was proudly wearing a cartoonish snake embroidered on his back.

 

It took a few weeks, but Hal eventually came around and thanked her for her honesty. Soon, he was bringing Alice flowers and they were making out again in the _Blue & Gold's _newsroom.

 

Alice's shirt never came completely off. Her breasts spilled out of the top of her shirt, the hem of the bottom only going as far up as her waist and covering the snake wrapped around the left side of her ribs.

 

 

* * *

 

Hal's parents had announced their intent to go out of town for the weekend. The days leading up to their departure was equal parts torturous and awkward.

 

Alice knocked on the Cooper's door, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Condoms were burning a hold in her purse – she couldn't trust him with something as important as this.

 

She was going to do this. She was going to have sex. Tonight.

 

“Alice,” he said when he opened the door.

 

She rolled her eyes. “Hal,” she mocked.

 

“Come in,” he waved an arm in the general direction of the house. She obliged and immediately went for the stairs. His room was the most logical place to do this.

 

Alice's first time was not magical or wonderful in any way. It wasn't particularly terrible either. Uncomfortable, maybe. But not terrible. It was just... _okay_.

 

Hal did make an effort to make it special. He lit some candles on his night tables and threw rose petals on top of the bed.

 

If Alice was being honest, it was over a lot faster than she thought it would be.

 

She didn't truly appreciate the joys of sex until a few weeks later when FP gave her her first orgasm.

 

There had been rumours about upcoming festivities at Hermione's place swirling around for days. Alice didn't pay much attention to it. But then Hermione's sort-of boyfriend Fred Andrews, aka Alice's level-headed chemistry partner, brought it up while they were measuring out their experiment.

 

“You and Hal are coming tonight, right?”

 

She shook her head. “Hal is going to New York with his family.”

 

“And what's your excuse?” Fred teased.

 

Alice shrugged. “Not really my scene.”

 

It wasn't a complete lie. She hadn't come to the Northside to make friends.

 

“You're going to have to do better than that,” Fred raised an eyebrow. “At least pretend that you're working.”

 

“But I _am_ working.”

 

“Nice try.”

 

Damn it. Why did this have to be her first Friday off in months?

 

“Honestly Fred,” she began. Maybe he would let it go if she told him the truth. “Hal and I started dating almost immediately after I transferred. I barely know anybody other than him... and you're going to be busy juggling Hermione and Mary and I don't really want to be alone in that giant house with a bunch of drunk strangers.”

 

“This is a perfect opportunity to bond with people!” He tilted his head in thought. “Would you be more comfortable if you brought a friend?”

 

Alice sighed. “You're not going to let this go, are you?”

 

“Nope” he grinned. “Now what did you mean, 'juggling Hermione and Mary'?”

 

After school Alice marches into the Wyrm, unwavering under the once-overs the other Serpents were shooting her way. She found her target standing alone by a pool table practicing his shots.

 

“Hey there, Handsome,” the greeting was saccharine.

 

“What do you want, Alice?” he replied as he took aim.

 

“Don't be an ass, FP,” she crossed her arms defiantly across her chest. “If you must know, I came to invite you to a party on the Northside.”

 

Intrigued, he lay his cue on the table. “When?”

 

“Tonight.”

 

“Where?”

 

“Walking distance. No need for a designated driver.”

 

“Why?”

 

That last question caught Alice off-guard. She floundered under his gaze before letting the truth slide from her lips. “It's been a while since we've gone out... and I miss you.”

 

FP took a step closer and her breath hitched. “What about Hal?”

 

“What about him?” she dares him to go there, but he doesn't. To her surprise, FP retreats and offers to swing by her place.

 

Later they crossed through the barely lit park, trading sips from reused soda bottles that contained rum and coca cola.

 

(It was mostly rum.)

 

FP had traded in his usual leather for some denim, _thank god_. Her Northside classmates didn't need to know about her Serpent ties. She just hoped that his pockets weren't filled with _merchandise._ Alice wouldn't ask, preferring to live in ignorance.

 

Alice also adorned a denim jacket that covered tight black dress she would never dare to wear around Hal.

 

FP reached over her shoulder, pulling her towards him and grabbed the bottle from her.

 

“Hey!” she protested as he took a swig. “Stop hogging the booze!”

 

“You're the one hogging it!” he kept his arm draped around her. “Still haven't learned to share, have we Alice?”

 

Any other day she would have come back at him with a witty retort, but the alcohol made her mind slow and the fresh night air made her whimsical. So she laughed and put her arm around his waist, pulling herself closer to him.

  

Alice stopped walking when she may or may not have felt something tickle the side of her head, just behind her ear. Still wrapped in his arm, she turned her head slightly towards FP, a mischievous smile gracing her lips.

 

“FP Jones, were you sniffing my hair?”

 

She fully expected him to turn red, deny it, to be exposed under her scrutiny. She did not expect him to face her head on, to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, for her heart to start fluttering, for her arms to snake around his waist.

 

She did not expect him to be honest.

 

“So what if I was?” he confesses. “You don't mind.”

 

She looks up at him, ready to berate him, but he's staring at her with that goofy lopsided grin and God damn it.

 

She didn't mind at all.

 

“Fuck.”

 

The smile fell from his face at her sudden outburst and he started to pull away, but Alice held him in place.

 

“Alice, let-”

 

“I want to kiss you,” the blunt confession fell from her lips.

 

FP blinked. “You what?”

 

She took a breath and rose up slightly on her tiptoes. There was no going back now. “I want to kiss you, FP.”

So she did.

 

She placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

 

And then she placed another one.

 

And then her arms were around his neck, and his were on her hips, and he was kissing her back.

 

FP was kissing her.

 

They never made it to Hermione's party.

 

Instead, they opted to hang out in the park, on a bench where FP's mouth explored her neck and his hands explored under her dress.

 

The hard bench was less comfortable than Hal's large bed, but Alice didn't care. This was so so much better. For the first time in her life, she wasn't thinking - not about her future, not about what Hal or anybody else thought of her.

 

She was _feeling_.

 

That night, Alice fucked FP Jones on a park bench. His name fell from her lips as she rode him with her skirt bunched around her waist and her panties hanging off her ankle.

 

Alice didn't know it could be like that.

 

The next day, she would tell FP that what she did was a mistake. Even when it was the most she had felt in a long time.

 

She would tell Hal that the mark on her neck was from her hair straighter.

 

Over 25 years later, she would tell both of them the truth of what happened after that night.

 

25 years later, Alice would kiss FP again. And this time, she would not let him go.

 


End file.
